Dallas ICE unit includes nation’s only female special response team member

At 44, most people are likely well into their careers, perhaps even beginning to think about retirement.

But Michelle Liles was nowhere near quitting; she was just getting started.

Six years later, Liles remains assigned to the Dallas unit of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s highly skilled Special Response Team. She was then — and still is — the only female member on any of the agency’s 22 such units based around the country.

Not that the 50-year old Liles planned it that way.

“The goal was not to be a female SRT member,” Liles said. “The goal was to be an SRT member.”

David M. Marwell, the special agent who supervises Liles, called her a “special, motivated individual.”

“She is very dedicated, she works exceptionally hard in all aspects, not only from SRT capabilities but from investigative capabilities,” Marwell said. “She’s very competitive and has a competitive personality. She strives to be the best.”

Dangerous situations

The SRT units, which each consist of about 16 members, specialize in dealing with potentially dangerous suspects and situations, such as drug trafficking, human smuggling and comprehensive investigations.

The teams serve warrants, conduct surveillance and oversee criminal investigations. The duty is often gritty. Agents wear more than 50 pounds of gear, including vests, guns, ammo and shields. And they must learn to shoot three weapons — a pistol, an M-4 assault rifle and a shotgun — with near perfection.

Liles’ father taught her and her sisters how to handle and shoot weapons at a young age. She received a perfect score on her pistol qualification when she went through SRT training at Fort Benning, Ga.

“I really like to shoot the weapons a lot,” Liles said. “We’ll break windows and things with flash bangs and I enjoy that as well. You hear of kids breaking windows all the time. I didn’t get to break my first window until I was 44 years old.”

Inspired by speaker

Liles, who majored in criminal justice, didn’t have a clear idea of what she wanted to do until a female FBI agent spoke to one of her college classes. “I was already interested in law enforcement, and that made me want to become a special agent,” she said.

But she didn’t get to do that right away. She held a variety of non-law enforcement jobs and was a stay-at-home mom until 1996, when she moved to Dallas from California and joined what was then the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as a case agent.

“You really have to stick with it,” she said. “It’s difficult to get a job as a federal agent.”

In 2003, her agency merged with the Customs Service to become Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency is the second-largest federal law enforcement agency behind the FBI.

Included in the merger was the Customs Service’s special response team and to Liles, that “seemed a lot more exciting.” She began a heavy training regimen, including running, swimming and lifting weights. An avid runner, Liles competed in her first marathon in 2001 — the White Rock Lake Marathon — and eventually incorporated the long-distance events into her training.

Four years after deciding she wanted to be a part of the elite squad, Liles was selected in 2007 to attend the SRT training school at Fort Benning. Not only was the former Girl Scout the only female in the group, she was also its oldest member.

After graduating from the tough, two-week training, Liles was assigned to the Dallas SRT. She later received additional specialized training, becoming certified in Black Hawk helicopter operations.

Super Bowl duty

That training was put to use in 2011 when she helped protect the airspace around Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, a mission she described as a career highlight.

“It felt pretty good helping my country out,” Liles said. “Though we weren’t the only ones there, I feel like we did our part.”

Though she said she’s never been in imminent danger on a mission, Liles realizes that every time she goes out on one, there is the possibility that something could go wrong. Despite this, she said one of her favorite parts of the job is when the team has to make an arrest.

“You get an adrenaline rush knowing there’s an unknown,” Liles said.

One thing Liles does know: SRT members must retire by age 57. Then Liles, who recently remarried, plans to travel around the country in a motor home and run in as many races as possible, perhaps even a 100-mile ultramarathon.

But that’s seven years away. For now, she’ll continue to be a role model for other women, though she acknowledges she feels the spotlight of being the group’s only female.

“I feel like I can’t help but stand out,” Liles said in a recent ICE news release. “You have to be careful and try to do everything right. I feel like I’m more closely watched because I am the only woman in SRT, so I always want to do my best.”

Garth Werner, who was on the SRT with Liles when she began, said that because of her vibrant attitude, strong work ethic and outstanding skill set, her gender was never an issue with her colleagues.

“Her big strength was that we didn’t feel like there was a female on the team,” said Werner, who has since been reassigned to Fort Benning. “We didn’t have to act in any special way that would be different than if she hadn’t been there.”

Yet, Liles is convinced that being a female agent has some advantages and encouraged other women to try it.

“Women just make good special agents in general,” Liles said. “My suggestion to other females is this: There’s a chance people will say you shouldn’t do it. You just have to show him — or her — that they are wrong.”

AT A GLANCE: Michelle Liles

Born: Los Angeles

Age: 50

Family: Married, with five children, ages 13 to 25

Education: Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, California State University

To post a comment, log into your chosen social network and then add your comment below. Your comments are subject to our Terms of Service and the privacy policy and terms of service of your social network. If you do not want to comment with a social network, please consider writing a letter to the editor.